Light, Time, Legacy: Francis Towne’s Watercolours of Rome

Dull exhibition at the British Museum of watercolours based on Francis Towne’s year in Rome from 1780-81.

There were some lovely pictures but the commentary concentrated on how they were painted, the techniques and materials used. This was interesting but It became overdone and I’d have liked a bit more about Rome, what it was like then and pictures of the views now. That could be because I am about to go on holiday there so I was hoping to use the exhibition as homework!

I loved the fact Towne numbered the works and noted the weather conditions at the time, it oddly reminded me of the property notes which get attached to a digital photo! I was also interested in the idea that he used these watercolours as a base for pictures through his life and patrons would use them to commission an oil painting.

There was an interesting section on the other painters he met and worked with in Rome but in a strange way showing these diminished his work as it showed they were all working on the same views so these works weren’t that innovative they were the standard views you would record at the time.

Closes on 14 August 2016.

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